Can you grow new brain cells

Can you grow new brain cells?

UC molecular geneticist is convinced the answer is yes

For decades, neuroscientists have argued whether adult brains can form new neurons, a process called neurogenesis. The answer could explain why some brains remain healthier into old age.

As National Geographic recently reported, a pair of new studies have provided fresh evidence in the long-running scientific debate. The result could be game-changing for treating diseases such as Alzheimer's and dementia.

Agnes (Yu) Luo, PhD, a molecular geneticist who studies stem cells and regeneration at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, told National Geographic that the most convincing evidence for her of adult neurogenesis was a 2014 paper that brought a novel approach to the question by examining the level of radioactive particles in postmortem human brain tissues.

A paper published last week in the journal Nature suggested that the secret of superagers - people with exceptional cognitive ability for their age - may be the fact that they have more new neurons than their peers. It was the second study in the last year that seemed to support the possibility of neurogenesis.

In July 2025, researchers reported in the journal Science that they were able to identify cells in adult human brain tissue that had the genetic hallmarks of cells that divide to create neurons. This proved, the researchers say, that at least some people make new neurons in adulthood, though the new neurons grow slowly.

Luo, a professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, is convinced. "I think the Science paper is more or less accepted by the field, that it sort of sealed the deal that we have [adult neurogenesis] in the human brain."

Now the debate may shift more to how much and how consistently adult neurogenesis occurs.

Read the full National Geographic report here.

Featured image at top: 3D illustration of neuron cells network with glowing connections. Photo/iStock/Imaginima.

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